-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSales: From Pitch to PO
From the first cold call to finally receiving that first purchase order, the July PCB007 Magazine breaks down some critical parts of the sales stack. To up your sales game, read on!
The Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Onboarding 101 With Mike Hoyt
May 5, 2023 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute

You’ve decided to revamp your process for onboarding new hires, but where do you start? How do you create a thorough onboarding system that allows each new hire to become a happy, long-term employee?
I asked Mike Hoyt, IPC’s training advisor, to discuss the organization’s onboarding program, the hiring issues facing companies in the PCB space, and the best way to get aboard a new onboarding process.
Andy Shaughnessy: IPC has been involved in onboarding for some time now. Tell us about IPC’s onboarding program.
Mike Hoyt: Multiple companies within the electronics industry reached out to IPC for help regarding the training of their incoming, unskilled workforce. At that time, so much of the training focus was around IPC standards and certification, and there wasn’t much training available that taught the essentials that every operator, technician and engineer needed to know before they started working on the line.
So, with the help of training experts in the industry, IPC developed multiple online training courses for both operators and engineers that could be offered on day one of a new hire’s employment and could get them to proficiency faster. These training courses require no prior knowledge or experience.
So far, we have received excellent feedback from companies who onboard their new hires with our workforce training courses. We now hear that new hires get to proficiency faster than before and, in some cases, are cutting the time it takes to proficiency in half. We have also been told that students who complete this workforce training do much better when they get to certification to IPC standards.
Shaughnessy: When companies in our industry come to you for help with onboarding, what challenges are they typically asking for help with?
Hoyt: I can think of two challenges. First, there is concern about investing in the training of individuals who might not stick around. Unfortunately, not investing in the training of these people provides negative consequences as well. Recently, IPC created a subscription model with unlimited access to our onboarding courses and many other tracks. We have been told that this helps to mitigate the effects of potential turnover because you can train as many people as you like and not have to worry about dollars lost if someone leaves.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the April 2023 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
The Government Circuit: Three Inescapable Conclusions About Global Trade Policies
07/17/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitAmid a series of recent moves by U.S. President Donald Trump to escalate trade policy pressure on key U.S. partners, including Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Malaysia, the Global Electronics Association’s recent report on global trade flows in the electronics industry is overflowing with relevant insights. The main message is that electronics supply chains are more globally integrated than any other industry, surpassing even the automotive sector in cross-border complexity.
The Wire Association International’s Wire Expo to Co-Locate with the Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo (EWPTE)
07/16/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationThe Wire Association International Inc. (WAI) announces plans to co-locate its biennial Wire Expo with the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA)/Global Electronics Association’s Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo (EWPTE) May 6-7, 2026. The two shows will co-locate at the Baird Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
The Pulse: Design Constraints for the Next Generation
07/17/2025 | Martyn Gaudion -- Column: The PulseIn Europe, where engineering careers were once seen as unpopular and lacking street credibility, we have been witnessing a turnaround in the past few years. The industry is now welcoming a new cohort of designers and engineers as people are showing a newfound interest in the profession.
Flexible Circuit Technologies Welcomes Regional Business Development Manager Derek Rossberg
07/15/2025 | Flexible Circuit TechnologiesFlexible Circuit Technologies a Minnesota-based flexible circuit and advanced electronics contract manufacturer, welcomes Derek Rossberg as Regional Business Development Manager.
IPC Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Lionel Fullwood
07/15/2025 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007Many IPC members who have contributed significantly to IPC and our industry have been awarded the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame (HOF) Award. Though many early HOF members have passed away and are unknown to today’s IPC membership, their contributions still resonate. This special series on IPC Hall of Fame members provides a reminder of who was honored and why. As a bonus, for those who are still around, we get to find out what these talented individuals are up to today.